


Set Fire to the Rain

by KrazyKyStaHatter



Series: Soulmate AU Challenges [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Colours, F/M, Healing Kisses, Like many MANY soulmate AUs, Make Outs, Soulmate AU, timer - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 02:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10845015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrazyKyStaHatter/pseuds/KrazyKyStaHatter
Summary: Soulmate AU Challenge: Zuko/Katara.A collection of unrelated ficlets, based on different kinds of soulmate AUs.Posted:Healing Kisses





	Set Fire to the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so, this is just a little challenge I set myself a while back. I have three of these going at the moment. And I like this one so much I thought I would post.  
> I have been in a real Avatar:TLA mood lately.  
> Anyway, this work was inspired by an utterly adorable AU I read once where your soulmate's kisses can heal wounds and even scars.

##  Kiss Me Better

“Hey, Zuko, you coming in?” Sokka asked him from the doorway of his family’s beach house.

He looked at the boy, then back out into the darkness of the beach where he could faintly see a girl huddled up in the sand. He held great respect for Sokka. When he wasn’t acting like a complete dork, well, he was actually kind of a genius. But how did he not notice that his sister wasn’t in the house?

“I’ll be there soon. I just have something to do,” he told him.

“Okay, well don’t be out too late. Tonight was kind of rough. And I think we’re doing some training tomorrow? Hey, have you seen Katara?” With a sigh, Zuko gave a small smile of relief and tilted his head out towards the beach. Sokka looked out to where he nodded, straining his eyes to see. Finally, he seemed to spot the figure alone on the sand. He looked back at Zuko and something seemed to click. “Ohhhhh… Okay then. I repeat. Don’t be out too late. And please bring my sister back inside, would ya?”

“That was the intention,” he said. “I don’t think she took the play very well. I’ll go talk to her.”

“I don’t think any of us took it very well.” His expression darkened a little and he went to close the door. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” he sad wryly.

With that, he walked down the steps and back towards the beach and the girl he could see tracing swirls in the sand.

He knew that the play had gotten everyone down, but he had a feeling there was something else wrong. He knew that the portrayal of her had bugged her. They had done everything they could to make her not look like a threat. Making her a cry baby who blubbered about hope, but could do nothing self, who dressed in skimpy clothing and threw herself at every man on stage except the Avatar (who wasn’t actually a man on stage). But it wasn’t just that either. She had been defiant about that. He had noticed that when they came back from the intermission she had seemed tense. She also refused to look at Aang the rest of the night and he wondered if something had happened.

As he got closer he heard her sigh as she continued to draw patterns in the sand. Either he was stealthier than he thought, or she was too deep in thought, because she didn’t notice him until he was right beside her. She jumped slightly, as if she were startled, and he heard her sudden intake of breath.

“It’s just me,” he told her, sitting down beside her. She turned to face him, even though in this light they could see little more than a person shaped shadow and a few vague features.

“What are you doing out here?” she asked him. Her voice lacked its usual fire and he frowned.

“I came to keep you company. Or talk, or whatever you want to do. Even if you just want me here to start a fire to stay warm and not say anything. I just… I don’t think you should be out here alone. And you looked like you needed someone to talk to. If - if you want to talk to someone else I could go get Sokka, or Suki… Maybe Toph? I don’t know, she’s very blunt…”

This made Katara giggle a little. “Thank you, Zuko. It means a lot.”

“It’s not a problem.” He shrugged. “I don’t think any of us are feeling all that okay after the end of that play… But that’s not what’s got you put out, is it?”

“How did you know that?” she asked, her voice quiet.

“I just… you looked tense when you came back from intermission. And-”

“And what?”

He hesitated a moment before telling her, unsure if he was overstepping any boundaries. “I noticed that you were sort of… avoiding Aang.”

“Was it that obvious,” she said miserably.

“N-no!” he was quick to say. “I, um… I may not be very good with people, but I  _ am _ pretty good at reading them. Weirdly enough.  And um… No, I don’t think anyone else would have noticed. But you seemed tense and I was trying to figure out why. ...Did something happen?”

She sighed deeply but didn’t say anything. For a moment he thought that she wouldn’t and that they would just sit there in silence. So he was surprised when she did speak.

“Aang kissed me!” she blurted out. His eyebrows rose in surprise, and for a moment a hot wave of jealousy swept over him. He managed to stifle it, feeling an anxious knot form in his stomach form instead, but he didn’t get the chance to comment as she continued on. “I mean, it’s not the first time he’s done it. He kissed me right before the siege. I was so surprised I didn’t know how to react, and then he was gone. And - and tonight. During that scene in the crystal caves when they put in that scene with the two of us, he stormed out of the theater. So when he didn’t come back I went to look for him.” She sighed heavily again, and he heard her move. She seemed to curl up on herself even more. “I found him outside and he seemed… I don’t know, just not okay. I asked if he was alright and… he snapped at me. He said he wasn’t and he sounded  _ really _ angry. And that’s just not like Aang. Well, he does that sometimes when he’s stressed. But… not like that. Anyway, after he had his upset outburst he quietened down a bit and he - well, he asked me if I had meant what I said in there. I was really confused. He was saying something about me thinking of him as a brother and I realised he was talking about the play, so I told him that I’d never said that.” He saw her anxiously tug at her hair. “He said how since we kissed at the invasion he thought that we were going to be together and he didn’t understand why we weren’t. And I… I told him I didn’t know. And he started demanding to know  _ why _ I didn’t know and  _ when _ would I know. And I was telling him that there was a war going on and we had other things to worry about. And that I’m - I’m confused. And - and then he _ just kissed me _ . I had  _ just _ told him I was confused and he kissed me anyway! I don’t know, maybe he was thinking that kissing me would help me make up my mind, but…” She let out a growl of frustration, then her head fell forward to rest on her knees. “Was I… was I wrong to get angry at him?”

Her rant petered out and Zuko stared at her shape through the darkness. He sighed, not quite sure what to say to comfort her or to help her fix her problem. “I know he’s just a kid… but Aang shouldn’t have done that,” he told her. She looked up at him sharply and he could see her eyes glint slightly. “No one should kiss someone when they don’t want to be. And I know he’s just a kid, but you telling him you were confused was a pretty clear no, and he should have understood that. You have every right to be upset about it.”

“Thanks.”

“And if it helps, knowing him, he’s probably feeling really guilty about it. I don’t know if he  _ knows _ what he did was wrong. But he knows he upset you.”

“Yeah…”

“Do… do you want to talk about it more or…” he said awkwardly.

“Well, what  _ is  _ there to talk about?”

“I don’t know, why are you confused? I mean, we’ve sorted the issue of what happened tonight, but the root of the problem isn’t resolved. He’s only going to ask you about it again, so… what’s got you so confused?”

“Um… like I said, we’re in the middle of war. And I… never mind.”

“And?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’ll let that one slide, but what else?”

“Huh?”

“Well, I see what you mean. It’s not exactly practical to start a relationship in the middle of a war, especially if you aren’t sure if either of you are going to make it out of it. But it’s not something that would make you confused. It’s an excuse. I mean, look at your brother and Suki. We’re in the middle of a war and they are doing everything they can to make me uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?”

“Don’t walk into either of their tents at night.” He could feel his face burn as horrifying memories of Sokka surrounded by candles with a rose in his mouth came to mind.

“Oh,” she sniggered.

“So, what’s got you so confused?” Again Katara was silent and he got the feeling that she either didn’t know where to start, or how to explain it. “How about we ask the most obvious question, then. Do you have feelings for Aang?”

At this, she was silent again, but he could see her fidgeting as she mulled the question over. “I don’t know,” she told him eventually. “I - I don’t know if I have feelings for him romantically. I’ve never actually thought about it. He’s a good, sweet kid, and I  _ do _ love him… I just… don’t know in which way. It’s different to the way I love Sokka, so I don’t love him like a brother. But, I don’t know if I do love him that way.”

Zuko mentally smirked when he heard her call Aang a kid. She may not know how she felt about him, but he knew from that statement it couldn’t possibly be romantic. Of course, it wasn’t exactly for him to tell her that. This was something she had to figure out for herself, he was just there to help her along. “Okay, well… how did you feel when he kissed you that first time?”

“I… don’t know. That first time he kissed me I was just surprised. I didn’t know how to react. It was just… strange. And I don’t know if that’s because of what I know or not.”

“What you know?”

“Aang… Aang isn’t my soulmate,” she said, the statement rushed as if she were forcing it out. “When Azula hit him with lightning… I was so scared. And I wanted him to be okay. He was… kind of in and out of consciousness for weeks, but he doesn’t remember any of it. But I was so desperate for him to be okay. And there was this huge scar in the middle of his back and I thought… maybe if I kissed it, it would go away. I could make him better. S-so I tried it, but nothing happened. I mean, I know that it takes a while to heal large scars with soulmates - I remember it taking an entire year for mama to kiss away the scar dad got from a sabertooth sealephant - but there was nothing. No change and… and I didn’t  _ feel _ like anything had happened. So… I don’t know if I’m holding back because I know that or not. I know you can be happy with someone who isn’t your soulmate, but… I just don’t know.”

“Okay,” he said slowly, feeling as if his stomach were sinking. “Do you  _ want _ to kiss him?”

Again Katara stayed silent and his stomach twisted into knots as he anxiously waited for her answer. He wasn’t going to push, but the suspense was almost killing him. He kind of regretted bringing this up. He felt as if he were going to be sick.

“What do you mean?” she asked him. “Do I want to kiss him back or…?

“No, I mean… just kiss him. Do you look at him and just feel bumbleflies in your stomach and want to just reach over and kiss her… I mean him!” he corrected as his thoughts began to drift away with him as he recalled the feeling. Visions of dark hair and blue eyes in the sunlight making him lose his breath a moment.

His slip up, however, made Katara laugh. “You got someone you want to kiss in mind, there, Zuko,” she teased.

He smiled, happy to hear her laugh. “Yeah, I kinda do.”

“O-oh.” He noticed that her tone dropped and she sounded a little sadder. The thought twisted his guts while also making him feel a little hopeful. “Is it that girl with the knives you said you were with? Mai?”

This threw him a moment. He doesn't think he ever actually had that feeling about Mai. They had kind of just happened, and he had enjoyed it… But he didn’t have the same feeling like his chest was about to burst with warmth every time he looked at her. Not like he did with Katara.

“No. Not her. I liked being with her… but I don’t think it was ever that… strong. I know it seems horrible to say, but… as much as I liked her, I don’t think I loved her.”

“Oh.” There was a moment of awkward silence before Katara blurted, “I don’t think I feel that way about Aang. I… I don’t feel like there are bumbleflies in my belly. N-not with him.”

“Not with…” he faded out as he realised what she was getting at.

“I do feel them when I look at someone else, though. That was my never mind before. I’ve been… I’ve been feeling like that about someone for a little while. And I’ve been trying to ignore it because… because it’s ridiculous right? It could never happen...”

“Oh,” he said, all the air in his lungs leaving him. He tried not to panic or get jealous as he thought about who it could be. If it wasn’t Aang, then… It couldn’t be Sokka, he was her brother. There were no other guys in the group. There were the girls, but Suki was taken. And like Aang, Toph seemed a little young for Katara. He thought back to when he had first joined them in the temple. There was that boy in the wheelchair, Tao. And there was that Earthbender, Haru. He had certainly seemed pretty interested in her. And Sokka had told him how she had helped Haru and that he thought she’d had a little thing for him… Even then it had stirred feelings of jealousy in him… Was there a reason she couldn’t be with either of those two?

“Zuko?”

“Huh?” he blinked as he snapped out of his reverie. Suddenly he was aware of another warmth near him and looked to see Katara very close to him. Her hip was brushing up against his knee and he felt warm.

“Are you okay? You kinda zoned out a moment there.”

“Y-yeah. Sorry. What were you saying?”

He could see her shake her head ever so slightly and he could almost imagine that fond smile on her face. “I think I was so confused because I’ve been worried I loved two people… Because lately, I’ve been having feelings for someone else.”

“A-and who would that be?” asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

He felt her hand on his knee and he knew he was gravitating towards her, even as his mind raged in conflict. Hope swelled in his chest like a warm pressure that made it hard to breathe, feeling as if it were going to burst from him. While his brain wouldn’t stop the internal debate.

She couldn’t mean him, could she? It really seemed like she did. She was leaning towards him and they were so close. But surely she couldn’t. It was just wishful thinking. He could never be lucky enough for her to love him back. He’d always had to work hard to get anything he actually wanted, and he had intentionally not tried to pursue her, fearing she wouldn’t love him in return. And why would she? It wasn’t all that long ago that she was still shouting and scowling at him. He had hunted her down across the world. He had used her as bait. He had betrayed her trust. Earning her trust back had taken time and taken a lot of work. He’d never thought that she would ever…

His nose brushed her cheek and he felt her breath on his neck as they drew close together. Their hands were intertwined and Katara had moved so close she was one movement away from sitting on his lap. It took all he had to keep breathing. Instead he closed his eyes and nuzzled against the side of her head, breathing in the sweet, salty smell of her ocean swept hair. His other hand came up to tangle in her hair and her breath hitched.

And then his lips were on hers. He wasn’t sure who moved first, all he was aware of was the feel of  _ her _ . Her soft lips moving against his, her body leaning into him, the softness of the hair gripped in his hands, her fingers tightening around his own, the small gasps and hums that escaped her…

He felt as if he were melting. Burning with desire and the urge to just hold her tighter. He wanted her and he wanted more. He wanted all she could give and he was rocked with the sensation that she wasn’t close enough. With a small growl, he took his hand from hers, wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her to him. She gasped as she was dragged into his lap, her body pressing flush up against his. He used this moment to swipe his tongue against her open lip she shuddered.

She pulled away slightly before peppering his face with kisses and then resting her forehead against his. They were both panting and he could feel his heart pounding loudly in his chest. She was so warm against him and his fingers dug into her hips.

“You,” she said breathlessly, placing another kiss on his cheek, just below his eye. “I like you.” She kissed him again. “I think I love you.”

“Oh thank Agni!” he groaned, claiming her lips again.

This time he drove the kiss, slowly leaning forwards until he was gently laying her in the sand. Her hair fanned out behind her and their bodies pressed together. Their lips didn’t leave the other’s the entire time until Zuko dipped down to kiss her cheek and lower still to reach her neck.

“This was not the response I was expecting,” she laughed breathlessly. He nipped at her neck and her laugh ended in a sharp gasp, her body arching up towards him.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t think… I didn’t think you-” Zuko silenced her with a kiss, not wanting to hear what he knew she was going to say.

“I - have had - feelings for you - for - a very - very - long time,” he told her, kissing a new spot on her neck during every pause.

“You - you have?” she panted, managing to plant another kiss on his face.

“Mmhmm,” he hummed. He sucked at her ear gently, smirking as she gasped. “It took me a while to figure out,” he whispered in her ear. “But ever since that day in the catacombs at Ba Sing Se, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.” He nuzzled at her neck, his nose gliding along the soft skin, and he smiled when heard her exhale a shaky breath. “I really couldn’t understand it. I thought I had everything that I wanted. I was home, I had my father’s approval, Mai… But I kept thinking about pretty blue eyes… and your smile… and your laugh.” He gently kissed her lips and looked down to see those large blue eyes staring up at him in awe, gleaming in the darkness. “And when I joined you guys I…”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “for how I treated you. A-after Ba Sing Se I was angry and - and scared that you’d betray us again. Not because it was dangerous, but because how much it  _ hurt _ .” She chuckled softly. “You were my enemy, and somehow you got me to care for you in just one conversation.”

“You have a big heart,” he told her gently. “You care for everyone you meet and you want to help them all. It’s one of the things that make you so amazing.”

“Thank you,” she said shyly.

“It’s one of the many things I love about you.” He smiled down at her and could feel her pulse speed up.

Katara chuckled. “So, was this all some sort of plan of yours to find out your competition?” she joked.

He grinned. “No, I was just genuinely concerned, but I do have to admit, talking you through your feelings for other people is something I never want to do again.”

She laughed again and leant up to snatch another kiss. He smiled against her mouth before responding, a hand curling behind her back to pull him closer to her.

“Katara?!” a shout called out across the beach. The two teens froze when Sokka’s voice reached them, their heart hammering in fear and exhilaration. “Zuko?! Hey, you two out there?” There was a pause and they stared at each other with wide eyes. 

“Stay  _ very _ still,” he warned. Katara gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“It’s kinda getting late… so… If you guys can hear me, you should probably come in.”

They waited a moment longer before daring to move. Zuko stood up, brushing the sand off himself, and then held a hand out to help her up. He could still barely see her in the darkness, so holding her hand was a comfort he was not about to give up.

“Thank Agni he didn’t see us,” he muttered. “I would  _ not _ want him to catch me making out with his sister.”

Katara giggled. “You’re probably right, but that would have been funny and frustrating to watch.”

Zuko grimaced. “Come on, your brother’s right. We should head in.”

She laced her fingers more firmly in his, and together they started walking up the beach towards the light of the house. They didn’t say anything. Honestly, after all, they’d said and been through tonight, they didn’t really need to. They could sort through more important things tomorrow. For now, they were content to just walk back to the house together in silence, the fingers intertwined and their shoulders pressed together.

When they entered the light, Zuko glanced down at her from the corner of his eye and saw her doing the same. She quickly looked away again, with a small, shy smile on her face and light pink dusting her cheeks. It made him smile back, bumblefies fluttering in his stomach, warm and fuzzy. He was incredibly glad that she was standing on his good side, so he was able to see her in perfect clarity.

When they got to the door, however, she reluctantly let go of his hand. “We - we should probably…” She was looking at the ground, not seeming to want to meet his eyes.

“Yeah, probably best for now…” he said gently. Considering how close the battle was, it really wouldn’t do well to upset the balance. It wouldn’t do to have Sokka try to knock him out. And it  _ really _ wouldn’t do to have Aang upset.

He sighed as he turned the handle and walked into the main room. The others were all gathered around the table, having a quick snack. They all looked up as he and Katara came in, and their eyes widened in surprise. He looked about, worry suddenly gnawing at him because of their expressions. What was wrong? Was… was it obvious that he and Katara had-

“Who’s this?” Sokka suddenly asked, standing and looking on his guard. He was aiming the question at Katara, but he was looking at  _ him _ .

...Hang on, what?

He turned around and looked at Katara in confusion, then back at the others. Behind him, Katara gasped in shock and he really began to worry. Why was everyone looking at him like he was a stranger?

“What do you mean?” Toph asked. “It’s just Sweetness and Sparky.”

“Why are you all looking at me like that?” He asked, trying to hide the insecurity from his voice. “What? Do I have something on my face?” They all seemed to recognise the sound of his voice and their eyes widened in shock. Sokka’s mouth actually fell open. “What?!” he demanded in annoyance.

He turned when he felt a soft hand on his arm, and Katara faced him with wide eyes. A tentative hand reached towards him and he was shocked when she touched his scar, carefully running her hand along his face, her thumb tracing just under his eye.

He looked down at her, seeing her apprehensive expression in disorientating clarity.  He was about to ask what she was doing when he was struck by the oddest sensation…  _ sensation _ . But no just any sensation. He could  _ feel _ her fingers on his face. Nerve endings that had been dead for three years had suddenly flared to life, and he could  _ feel _ her touch.

“There’s nothing on your face,” she breathed in disbelief. “Zuko, there is **_nothing_** _on your face_. _”_

“O...kay?” he said, not entirely sure what was going on. The sudden sensation on his damaged skin and clarity in his bad eye gave him a hint, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” Toph asked. “What’s the big deal with him apparently  _ not _ having something on his face.”

“Toph…” Sokka said slowly. “Zuko has-  _ had _ a scar on his face.”

“Had?” he breathed, still not daring to believe it.

Toph snorted. “So what if he had a little scar?” Silence met her words.

“It’s not little…” he eventually said, his voice quiet. He wasn’t entirely sure he was breathing right now.

“It was a huge scar,” Sokka told her. “It covered at least quarter of his face, right around his left eye. Like… here.” He reached out and traced the spot on her face so she would know. “And it was bad. Third-degree burn. Like, his eye was badly impaired, and he didn’t have much range of movement in it. Made him look like he was scowling all the time.”

“I thought he I  _ was _ just scowling all the time,” she joked. Sokka snorted at this and even Suki giggled. “But… so, what? It just disappeared?”

“Yeah, it has,” Suki said.

The air in Zuko’s lungs left him like he had been hit by a rampaging komodo rhino. A hand reached up to his face. Where there was once rough, bumpy skin, there was now soft, smooth skin. He could not only feel the skin on his face, but he could feel the tips of his fingers touching it. And under his touch, he could feel his muscles moving under the skin as his hairless brow crumpled in confusion and disbelief.

“But… how?” Aang asked.

“So, who have you been kissing, Zuko?” Sokka asked cheekily.

“What?!” he, Aang and Katara cried out at the same time. He and Katara had stiffened and glanced at each other in worry.

“Well, come on. There’s only one way that scars can just disappear like magic,” he said as if it were obvious. “A kiss from your soulmate. Though, that must have been one supercharged soulmate kiss. It took mum months to heal that scar dad got from a sabertooth sealephant.”

His mouth fell open in shock, then closed again, and then fell open again as he looked helplessly down at Katara. Unsure what to say, or even how to react. Sokka was right. A soulmate’s kiss  _ was _ the only way to heal scars. And he very vividly recalled her lips pressing repeatedly against his face. She met his gaze with wide blue, startled eyes and pink cheeks.

Sokka looked between the two of them, his eyebrows rising higher as the pieces fell together in his mind. Zuko cringed slightly, waiting for the outburst, waiting for the boy to run at him in an attack for kissing his sister. So he was shocked when instead a wide grin plastered his face instead.

“Wow,” he grinned. “What do you know?”

“Uh…” He and Katara glanced at each other again, neither of them knowing how to react to the situation. Honestly, they were too stunned by the information themselves. It felt  _ right _ , but it was still a shock. Still, a lot to realise that the person beside you was always destined to be the love of your life, one way or another - possibly even through multiple lives.

“W-wait, Zuko and… Katara?” Aang asked.

“Going my how hard their hearts are pounding, I am going to say ‘yes’,” Toph smirked. Both of them turned red at the statement and fidgeted nervously. He saw Katara bite her lip and her eyes darted towards Aang, and he knew she was worried about him.

“So, did you two kiss?” Suki pressed, looking like she was enjoying this way too much. “If you don’t answer, we’re just going to take your silence as a yes.”

“Ahh… yes,” he said, reaching behind himself to scratch nervously at his head.

“Oh,” Aang said quietly.

Sokka just smirked. “You know, when you said you were gonna go take care of my sister, I didn’t think you meant like that!”

“Sokka!” Katara cried in mortification.

“What? No!” Zuko cried. “I didn’t- We were just talking! She was upset and we were just talking about…  _ things _ , and then- and then, we just kinda…” He snapped his mouth shut before he could dig his hole anymore.

“Ah-ha, sure you did, buddy,” Sokka teased.

“Sokka, stop it!”

“What? He’s your soulmate! I’m allowed to tease my baby sister’s soulmate!”

“No, you’re not!”

Zuko shrugged. “It’s okay. Honestly, I thought you were going to freak out… Maybe attack me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You can be a little over protective sometimes,” Katara told him.

“Well, yeah, if the guy’s an asshole. But this is Zuko! Guy’s an awkward, Firebending teddybear.”

“Hey!”

“What, it’s true. Besides, you got me into a high-security prison, got locked in a freezer overnight, and got tied to a chair by your crazy, knife wielding ex-girlfriend just to help me rescue my dad and girlfriend. Like, maybe a few months ago I would have freaked out, but you earned my respect pretty quickly. Also, I kinda noticed you making eyes at Katara for weeks now. I was wondering when you were gonna do something about it.”

“Oh yeah, they’ve had some  _ crazy _ tension since he joined the gang!” Toph said. “I’ve been waiting for them to make out or something for ages! Who would have thought that you’d be soulmates, though?”

“Yeah, you’re really lucky to have found each other.” Everyone’s heads snapped towards the quiet voice, surprised that it was  _ Aang  _ who had said it. He was looking at the table, not meeting anyone’s eyes. He looked sad and his voice was small and quiet, but he was genuine. “The monks said that soulmates are the souls of people whose love is so strong that it spans lifetimes, and the reason they can heal each other is because of that love. They said that… having a soulmate is pretty rare, and finding your soulmate is even rarer. So… I’m glad you found each other. Soulmates shouldn’t be kept apart.”

“Thank you,” Zuko said, just as quietly. He could only imagine how hard it would be to let Katara go, knowing she was supposed to be with someone else. Just the idea of it made his throat tighten and panic begin to rise in him.

Aang nodded in acknowledgement. “So, ah… how long have you two known? That you were soulmates?”

“Um, just now, actually,” Katara said. “You guys found out the same time we did. I mean, we could barely see anything out there. I didn’t even notice his scar was gone until we got inside.”

“This is so unreal,” he murmured, reaching up to touch the now unscarred skin again.

“Wait, wait, wait. You  _ just _ found out?!” Sokka said, aghast. They both nodded. “Okay, no! This is unacceptable! Being soulmates is a big thing! You need to be spending time with each other!”

“Ah, Sokka-” Katara tried to say as he came around to them, placed a hand on each of their backs, and led them down the hallway.

“Talking, kissing,  _ other things _ . Either way, you should be doing something together right now, not hanging out with us! Go! Do… soulmate-y things!” He opened the door to the room Zuko had been sleeping in and shoved them inside. “Just… try to keep it down.” His expression was  _ way _ too sly as he wagged his eyebrows at them.

“Oh, like you do?” Zuko managed to snark, right before the door was slammed in his face.

“Goodnight!”

“I do not understand your brother,” he sighed, turning back to Katara.

She just shook her head in amusement and sat down. “Time will not help, trust me,” she smirked.

He smiled as he sat down, next to her, inclining back on the bed so he was sitting against the wall. Katara shuffled back so she was doing the same. “So… soulmates, huh? Makes sense, I guess.”

“Oh yeah,” she grinned. “It totally explains why you chased me across the entire world for half a year.”

“What could I say, I knew what I wanted.” They chuckled at the joke. They found that their hands had reached out towards each other, and once again, their fingers intertwined. They smiled softly at one another. “Really, though. I may have been hunting down Aang, but every time we met there was just something about you. Your spirit, your determination… and every time we met you got stronger. You were my enemy, but I respected you.” His thumb stroked across the soft skin of her hand. “And then that day in Ba Sing Se… you opened up to me, and I  _ actually _ felt like I wanted to open up to you. I’d never really done that before. And then you touched me and I knew there had to be something between us.”

“I knew I had strong feelings for you,” she told him. “But honestly, I originally thought it was loathing.”

Zuko laughed. “I don’t blame you.”

“I wasn’t as mad at you as I pretended to be when you joined us. I mean, I  _ was _ , but more… more because I was scared than angry. Scared that you were going to hurt me again.” He squeezed her hand, a silent apology for what he had done as guilt gnawed at him. “And then I realised I was starting to have feelings for you, which made it worse. Because if you did something when I liked you, that would hurt even more. Not that I didn’t trust you or anything at that point. I just… I guess I was trying  _ not _ to let myself fall for you. I always… I kept my distance, partly because I didn’t think you’d like me back, or that nothing would come of it anyway, because you’re the Fire Prince and will probably be Fire Lord one day and I don’t know if you’d even be able to  _ be _ with a girl who’s just a Water Tribe peasant, and…” She stopped, letting out a deep breath. “And partly because we’re in a war, and I know I usually think on the positive side, but what if something bad  _ did _ happen. I never  _ let _ myself love you because what if I  _ do _ lose you? I couldn’t handle that Zuko.”

He moved closer to her, pulling her into his arms and using one hand to brush her hair soothingly. “We could drive ourselves crazy with ‘what if’s, Katara. There is so much that can go wrong in the battle, and even more, could happen afterwards. It’s going to take the world a good while to fall back into place and find true peace after this war. But we can’t dwell on that. Not now. And if- if something bad does happen to one of us in the next few days… I don’t think it would hurt any less if we were together than if we weren’t. I just want to be with you, no matter what happens.”

Katara nodded, smiling sadly, and rolled over so that she could curl into him. Happily, he drew her closer, fitting her into his side and wrapping his arms around her. It was comforting to feel her warmth pressed against him, and her breath against his collarbone.

“Do- do you, um… Do you want to stay in here tonight? With me?” She looked up at him and he was quick to correct himself. “We don’t have to do anything. I just meant… this is nice… and I kind of want to keep doing it, if that’s okay with you. Falling asleep with you in my arms is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

He felt a small smile run through her and she smiled. “I’d love that,” she said quietly, snuggling in further.

Zuko ran his hand up and down her arm, a smile on his face and pressed a kiss to her hair. “No matter what happens in the next few days… we’ll face them together.”

**Author's Note:**

> I totally forgot to work it into the plot, but Zuko's scar disappears so fast because as a natural healer, Katara's kisses are 'supercharged', as Sokka puts it.
> 
> I already have eight other AUs planned for this (Including the timer, red thread, seeing colours, two different kind of body swap AUs and a few others) if there is an AU you really want to see, let me know. ♥


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